There are a couple different ways we can do a series of premium phones. Vivo has a spectrum of devices offered under the X200 label. I’ve spent a lot of time already using the X200 Pro to get work done for my videos and reviews.
The X200 arrives with the same powerhouse chip, but a few other “cost sensitive” component choices. Using it has been really interesting…
Google’s earbud evolution is nearly complete. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a highly refined product, with excellent tech features, and charming design. This will be a crowd pleasing product, and an excellent sidekick for many Pixel phone owners. These buds get a very positive recommendation, and what follows in this article is why I personally am not using them.
When I talk about camera sensor improvements, I’m mostly impressed by sensor sizes getting larger. When we increase sensor surface area, we see more dramatic improvements to photo quality. The aesthetics of a photo change with a larger sensor, and we can demonstrate things like depth of field and bokeh more easily.
That’s not to say that staying at the same sensor size, and adopting new tech at that size, can’t ALSO bring benefits. It’s just, in my time reviewing phones, I haven’t seen where the “tech” upgrade has ever been as noticeable as the “size” upgrade.
Recently, one of the few times that pattern has been challenged was while reviewing the Xiaomi 14. My expectations were REALLY low as it was another phone with a 1/1.3″ type sensor, but this time the sensor was from Omnivision.
In my experience, Omnivision made the “cheap” sensors for companies that wanted to save money on manufacturing.
With my expectations that low, it was shocking to see the Xiaomi 14 outperform the Galaxy Note 24. Had sensor tech (at comparable sizes) finally made a noticeable impact on low light performance? Did this change the whole game? Continue reading “Is the Pixel 9 Pro “Cheating” its RAW Files?”
I love my Surface Laptop 7. I HATE its available ports.
Two USB-C and one USB-A are woefully incomplete in an era where I really do want to use this machine as a desktop replacement. It feels like the product is incomplete, and it requires an accessory purchase to realize the laptop’s potential.
We got the announcement from Netflix that our Basic plan was being discontinued. We would no longer get ad-free viewing on one screen. Netflix had the gall to frame this as a way to reduce our spending by incorporating ads in our content. We paid for the Basic plan specifically to avoid ads in our streaming. If we wanted to pay more for content AND watch ads, we’d just sign up for a cable streaming package.
We broke the news to our daughter, and she took it remarkably well. Maybe it was because she was watching Big City Greens on Disney+ and wasn’t really paying attention. Kids are funny like that.
This month we’re cancelling Amazon Prime and Netflix, but Netflix stings a bit more. Continue reading “So Long Netflix. We had a good run…”
I love how a planar driver produces sound, and I’m excited to see more and more consumer focused options with closed back designs. Edifier lacks ONE feature for broad consumer adoption, but we can’t fault the sound quality here.
These are feature complete, high quality audio gadgets, that go toe-to-toe with all the top consumer brands. They might COST less than AirPods, but don’t think that means they’re “less good”.
